Investigation 1 Steps:
- Get a small object like a pencil or something similar.
- Drop the pencil or object from waist height.
- Drop the pencil or object from shoulder height.
- Raise your hand above your head and drop the pencil or object.
Quick and Easy Gravity Investigations
Teaching students about gravity doesn’t have to be difficult. Here are 4 stations I have students complete to teach them about gravity and how it pulls objects towards Earth.
Total Time: 30 minutes
Materials:
- Pencils or other small objects to let fall to the ground
- Paper
- Pop Up Balls
For these activities, have students work in groups of 2-3 so they can discuss findings.
Investigation 2 Steps:
- Push a pencil or small object off a desk.
- Find another location in your classroom you can push a pencil or object off of.
- Find one more location in your classroom you can push a pencil or object off of.
Investigation 3 Steps:
- Hold both pieces of paper and drop them at the same time.
- Crumple only one of the pieces of paper and drop both at the same time.
- Crumple the second piece of paper and drop them at the same time.
Investigation 4 Steps:
- Grab a popper and flip it inside out.
- Very carefully place it on the ground and hold it there until you are ready.
- When ready, release the popper. Keep it away from your face.
After each investigation students should write down what they observed and what it shows scientifically.
For example:
- What they notice: The objects fall to the ground no matter where we are in class.
- Science Explanation: Whatever is pulling the objects down happens everywhere
FAQ
What questions can I ask students to help them understand what is happening?
As you walk around the room checking in on different groups, you can ask the following questions to students.
- What is happening?
- Does it always happen the same way?
- What is causing the object to move?
- Why do you think the same thing happens?
- Do you notice any patterns?
How can English learners participate successfully?
Here are some tips for English learners:
- Let them write their ideas in their native language (if they can). If they cannot, let them draw in the observation box instead of writing.
- Partner them up with someone who can help them record their thoughts on paper.
- Use AI to help create a visual support to help the student understand the instructions. Here is a prompt: “Take these instructions and turn it into a visual support (PNG) for EL students: Investigation 3 Steps: Hold up both pieces of paper and drop them at the same time. Crumple only one of the pieces of paper and drop both at the same time. Crumple the second piece of paper and drop them at the same time.”
What pop up toys are you talking about?
You could really use any type of object that pops up but then comes back down. But we used these pop up balls*.
No need to use the same exact object as us. Use whatever you can find that is free, even a bouncing a rubber ball will show students the same scientific principle. We just want to share the resources we used that worked well.
Looking for ready-to-use lessons on this subject? This activity is part of our 3rd Grade Forces & Interactions Lesson Plans, which include detailed lesson plans, student recording sheets, assessments, and many other activities to help students understand forces, gravity and friction.
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